2019 Alizeti 300C Review

To run the forums, host the website, and travel, I charge a universal service fee for my reviews. This in-depth review was sponsored by Alizeti Technology in Motion. My goal is to be transparent and unbiased with you, this video and writeup are not meant to be an endorsement of Alizeti products. I welcome your corrections, additions, and feedback in the comments below and the electric bike forums.

Pros:

• A fully featured and complete friction-drive electric bicycle conversion kit that allows you take a conventional bike and upgrade it with an electrical system, is extremely versatile in application as well as options available to the consumer, applications range on any bicycle or tricycle that has a rear rack and drop out provisions
• This has really changed my mind on friction-drive kits, friction drive always seemed inefficient to me and incapable of much power, however, this is like the Cadillac of friction-drives and really shows what is capable with such technology if you really try
• Really an amazing price point when you consider other kits out there that cost around $1,499, the Alizeti 300c is only $849 in comparison, a great choice for commuters that want to save some money or even want a more simple system for their first conversion
• The roller electronically engages by the arm extended from it by pushing up or down on the rear tire, this system can also lift it entirely so it has no drag for regular pedaling or if the battery is dead, this is a great feature if you want to walk the bike along without the friction
• Alizeti also put pedal assist on the 300c, something that is very rare on friction drive motor, it uses a small magnet that attaches to the core of the pedal, this counts pedal rotation for cadence based assist and really helps you get up and go
• For the review, I placed it on my 700c tire sized bike, and it should be applicable on most any common wheel sizes, this is great for versatility and getting the application on more bikes
• This has an interesting user interface, the display is a small medallion type of surface where the border acts as buttons, I thought it was cool and easy to use, it shows 5 LEDs that correspond to your battery level, it also has a little letter display that will tell you what kind of modes you are in
• Some of the modes include L for lock mode, this presses the motor hard onto the tire with no electrical assist so that it drags heavily, this makes it very difficult to pedal or push, if they are able to push the bike a few rotations of the pedal, the speaker system will sound a loud alarm that is capable of going on and on for weeks with a full battery
• If you hold the down button it puts it into F mode for regen, this allows you to reproduce energy based on the friction from the motor, this does slow you down quite a bit however, and I am not sure how much it is generating, but it is great for hills and it is nice that you can change it on the fly
• The included battery is a 24v 11.6ah, that is a bit smaller in voltage for what we are used to seeing on pre-made ebikes, but the application works well here since all it is powering is the friction arm, a few different LEDs and a speaker
• I love that the battery is surrounded by this metal casing, it is also secured via lock and key, so there is a lot of piece of mind here, the battery slides in and out along this tray and has a second slot for up to two batteries to extend the range and make this a dual battery setup
• Charging is done with a small 2amp charger so that slower charge will help the battery life, to really care for this and other lithium-ion packs, I have heard that storing in a cool dry location vs. extreme heat or cold will extend the life and try to keep it about 50% full when not using for long periods so you won’t stress the cells, try not to let it run down to zero, because that’s really hard on the cell chemistry
• If you look closely, you can see a bit of a mesh grille on the battery housing in the rear facing the the front of the bike, this is a speaker system that will indicate an audible chime when you turn it on or off as a good indicator of whether the system is functioning or not, this also operates a horn which I found nice and loud, pretty handy, especially if your current conversion prospect doesn’t have a bell
• The kit also has battery integrated lights, I find the headlight to be really bright here, they have them available for the front and the rear, safety has always been a priority for myself and other cyclists, so it’s nice to see that more and more companies are including these on ebikes
• That front light has a steady mode or a pulse mode, there is a button on the display that can activate or change this
• I didn’t get a chance to install or test them, but the kit also comes with turn signals, this is really cool and handy for commuters, especially if you are in a situation where you are trying to keep both hands on the bike, thoughtful features like this show that they are trying to go above and beyond other friction kits
• I keep saying this thing is full featured, and if you’re not sold by now, it also has a rain mode, this is a huge win since most friction drives just free spin in the rain, causing it not only to be useless, but potentially dangerous, I got to test it myself in the video, you should check it out, I was quite surprised as it worked very well
• This really changed my mind as to what a friction drive could be, the pedal assist was really consistent and powerful, I have to be honest, going into the review I was a little worried, but this kit won me over
• Being able to transform an existing bike into electric with multiple drive modes and higher speeds like this for just $849 seems pretty good to me, there are cheaper kits out there, but most of them don’t offer this level of performance or features
• The kit essentially makes your application a Class 1 ebike, so this means it is legal for more trails, paths, and vicinities than other Class 2 or Class 3 ebikes, a nice upgrade for your existing bike, but not too crazy that the law comes down hard on you

Cons:

• Because this is a friction drive, designed to interface with a tire, you better make sure its a smooth tire and not a mountain bike tire, knobby tires vary in pattern and tread and will likely not give you the results you want if any, so make sure your application is on a smoother tire
• Going along with that, you also need seat stay provisions for mounting as well as a drop out (the drop out is a must) area, if not this kit will not work, you could maybe get a collar adapter for the seat stay mounting, but there is nothing you can do if you do not have a drop out section
• The way the battery and system mount on the back make it look like a rear rack, but it is the battery housing, I would hesitate to treat this like a rack and put large weight on there, most racks are rated for 55lbs, and I imagine if you were to tax this with that kind of weight, it could really harm the system
• The display is kind of cool, but there is no speedometer at all to tell how fast you’re going, I have tested and ridden many bikes in my carrier and I would say that if I had to guess, the top speed on this kit is around 20mph, but keep in mind it will not tell you
• The kit doesn’t come with any motor inhibitor type setup, this is unfortunate, because you have to fight with the motor a bit when stopping, do be aware of that, especially if you are coming from an ebike background and are excepting the motor to cut off when braking
• Unlike a purpose-built electric bike, kits usually have extra wires that aren’t as hidden or neat looking, this is really up to you or the shop you take it to if you want a clean and professional look, if you don’t take your time, this could really make the bike stand out in a bad way as it can look homemade if not done right
• There is no way around it, this thing is loud, if you are looking for a quiet ebike, this is not the one for you, the friction noise coupled with the electric motor makes for a noisy setup, it didn’t but me that much, but keep in mind you can’t escape it unless you turn it off
• Because the pedal sensor is far in the back, you have to do an entire pedal rotation some times to get it going, if you want less effort and more smoothness, make sure you are in the right gear to start it up, once it gets going it’s not so bad and you should be fine
• There is no throttle on this kit, and as I just said, the pedaling does not provide immediate response, for those reasons, this setup may not be good for those looking for low activity or for the health recovery after surgery that ebikes can offer

Useful Resources:

• Official Alizeti website